Bengal panchayat polls: Governor summons SEC again

Kolkata, June 25 (IANS) West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has summoned State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rajiva Sinha again to Raj Bhavan on Sunday afternoon to have updates about the measures taken for ensuring free and fair polls for the forthcoming elections for the three- tier panchayat system in the state.

Earlier too the Governor had summoned Sinha on this count. However, at that point of time, Sinha expressed his inability to appear at the Governor’s House. Soon after that the Governor refused to accept his joining letter and returned it to the state secretariat. Now it is to be seen whether the state election commission appears or not.

However, commission sources said that there is a possibility of Sinha appearing at Raj Bhavan at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

On Saturday only the Governor directed the police to immediately arrest and take action against the assassin of Purulia- based Trinamool Congress leader Dhananjay Choubey.

On June 22, the Governor held the state election commissioner responsible for bloodshed in the state over the forthcoming polls for the three- tier panchayat system.

“I appointed the state election commissioner. I restored faith in him that he will ensure free and fair polls. But what I feel is that the common people are disappointed. There had been so much bloodshed,” the Governor said while speaking to the media persons on that day.

The Governor’s observation comes in the wake of a strong remark from the division bench of Calcutta High Court’s Chief T.S. Sivagnanam, on June 21, where he advised the state election commission to step down from his chair if he is unable to perform his duty.

“In that case the Governor will appoint someone else,” Justice Sivagnanam had observed. Till date as many as 10 persons have died in poll-related violence during the last 17 days till the time the dates of polls was announced on June 8.

The panchayat poll is scheduled on July 8 and the counting will be on July 11.

--IANS

src/dpb